The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-12-15

HhOulUofo uSV0 UOrIOW0Q anu % u1V0 70
pay In the full amount of %, It is only
the four or ave i9ft who gel the benefit
of the heavy interest. Sometimes to-
ward the last Of the Woo-ey, when two
or three different, ones wish TO borrow,
the rates offered ere often - high
as seventy-ave per cent, and In one in
stance that know of, just before the
Chinese New Year, 100 per cent. was
bid on . % Woo-ey. AZ there were
but three members that had not Dor.
rowed, the hard.up Celestial had only to
pay the heavy premium to two men.
Sometimes the Woo-ey is 40 low as fifty
cents share, and have known Of
Woo-eys as high as $50 share. Those
who 60 into Woo-ey % an investment
and do not borrow themselves generally
get large interest for their money.
The Chinese, although they do not
use gold as token for money (silver
being their highest standard for metal
currency, use 1t largely for ornaments
and jewelry. The women deck their
hair with pins, combs and pendants
made Of fine gold, and wear rings, brace
lets and anklets, II they can afford It,
while the men content themselves with
rings and buttons made Of gold.
1t is . common sight in San Francisco
to see q well-to-do Chinese with double
row of gold dollars ON either side of his
coat, running the full length, that are
used as buttons.
Silver for ornaments and jewelry is
largely utilized when circumstances will
not allow using the more costly metal.
For gems or stones the jade-stone is the
favorite. There is not only an intrinsic
but q superstitious value attached to
this stone. The favorite ornament for
both male and female is a jade-stone
bracelet made solid like ring. The value
of single bracelet varies according to
the quality-from $50 up to as high 40
$3.50 is paid. The jade is semi-trans-
parent stone nearly as hard as dia-
mond and of milky or smoky white color
mottled with green and blue. When cir
cumstances admit . jade-stone bracelet is
placed upon the wrist of Q child and
allowed to remain there. As the child
grows up the hand naturally increases in
size, SO that in the course Of time it is i'm
possible to remove the bracelet without
breaking it.
The superstitious value of the jade.
stone is that the owner of good stone
will never suffer with hunger. The su-
perstition is probably true, for one would
not naturally suffer much from hunger be-
fore he sold the stone, which would place
him in pecuniary position to buy food.
When the money received BY the sale Of
the stone is gone, the belief holds good,
even though the believer might starve
to death, because having sold his stone
he no longer Is the possessor Of charm
to prevent him from suffering with
hunger.
Another belief is that II any one wear.
ing q jade-stone bracelet should fall from
the top of building or some other high
place he will not be killed unless his or
her bracelet should be broken.
Next to the jade-stone, the diamond is
the favorite-the Chinese are good judges
OF diamonds, and often buy them when
in foreign countries as safe investment
for their money. Nearly all the Chinese
In Cuba 60 there to work on q five or
seven-year contract, receiving only q
small amount of the pay until the con-
tract expires, when they get the larger
portion Of the money they have earned
In one sum.
As rule they invest their money in
diamonds. If they carried their earnings
away in coin It would be hard to con-
ceal 1t, and they would have to pay q
duty on all coin taken from the island;
then they have little or no trouble in
smuggling the diamonds into the port of
San Francisco, where they 60 en- route
for their home in China.
1t 10 common occurrence for q Chi
nese from Cuba, who has his wealth in
the form OF diamonds, when about to
pass the custom-house inspectors in San
Francisco to place his diamonds in his
mouth, and If he finds the search is too
rigid he can easily swallow thep-and
as soon as he gets ashore an emetic will
shortly bring the diamonds to light. As he
Is naturally close buyer and brings the
stones into this country without payment
of duty, he has little II any difficulty in
disposing Of them at price in advance
of what he paid.
As people the Chinese males are bet
ter educated than any other race of peo-
pie In the world. Education toa certain
extent is compulsory for all Chinese
males, although the mass cannot do
much more than read and write still to
that extent they are all educated. It has
been the policy of the Chinese govern
ment for hundreds of years to select Q
certain number of boys from each dis
trict and educate them for historians and
writers. Their work is never completed,
for as long as they live and are able to !
do anything they continue to study and
write. Every five years they pass an ex-
animation and, according to their pro-
ficiency, they are promoted to Office or
rank. As rule no Chinese can hope to
attain prominence in any civil or mill
tary office pertaining to the government
unless ne has succeeded as scholar, for
the Chinese believe no man can sue.
ceed as scholar unless he has ability
and II he possess ability why then, as
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